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I often suggest that authors promote their books through their own blogs. But you can also get exposure on other people’s blogs. Here are some tips:
• Do an Internet search for blogs focusing on the subject, genre or theme of your book. For my new mystery novel, Catnapped, I seek out blogs related to mystery writing and those featuring cats.

• Streamline your search by locating blog directories. Most are separated into categories.

• Spend some time at each potential blog. Find out if they post guest blogs. Does the blogger interview authors? Do they review books?

• Contact those bloggers that provide the sort of coverage you require—they have a large following of visitors interested in the topic or genre of your book, and they welcome author participation.

• Follow through with what you say you’re going to do and do so in a timely manner. This might be to send a copy of the book and a jpeg of the cover. Or you might write a guest post on an agreed upon topic.

• Watch for comments after the post goes live so you can respond where appropriate.

• Always thank the blogger for the opportunity.

A caution: Check the date of the last post at the blog site. How often does this blogger post? How many comments does the blogger attract? If there’s little activity at the blog site, your book won’t be noticed.

For over 250 more ideas for promoting your book, enhanced by anecdotes from two dozen professionals and authors, read “Promote Your Book, Over 250 Proven, Low-Cost Tips and Techniques for the Enterprising Author.” It’s at Amazon.com in print, Kindle and audio and at most other online and downtown bookstores. Or order it here: http://www.matilijapress.com

For a fun read, check out Patricia’s first novel—Catnapped, a Klepto Cat Mystery. It’s on Kindle only. http://amzn.to/14OCk0W

I promised that today I would give you some tips on how to promote your website. Here are some ideas to get you started. Include your website address:

• On your business cards and promo material (bookmarks, post cards, etc.).
• On your handouts when you speak or work a book festival.
• In your bio at the end of the articles/stories you submit.
• In your email signature.
• Inside (or on the cover of) the books you publish.
• In your blog posts.

In other words, don’t keep your website a secret. This is where people can go to learn more about you and your book. Your website might offer just the incentive and encouragement some fence-sitters need in order to make the commitment to buy your book.

This is where they can find you when they are looking for someone to speak to their group, conduct a workshop at their conference, contribute to their book. And all of these activities can lead to more book sales.

For more ideas, tips and techniques for promoting your book, read Promote Your Book, Over 250 Proven, Low-Cost Tips and Techniques for the Enterprising Author. (Allworth Press). Available at Amazon in print, Kindle and audio as well as most other online and downtown bookstores.

Many authors go through the process of writing a book and getting it published, then run into a major roadblock when it comes time to selling it. They don’t know how to find their audience, approach them and make the sale.

Few authors come into the world of publishing with the experience, aptitude or skills for promoting their books. Some of those authors decide to hire someone to help.

There are companies and individuals who offer marketing services. “Self-publishing” companies sell marketing programs to their authors. But in many cases, what the author gets isn’t quite what he or she needs in order to launch them on a lifetime of success. Often, what the author receives from these programs, companies and individuals (if anything) is a temporary boost in sales. What they need is a hand to guide them. It’s the old, “give a man a fish” versus “teach him to fish.”

When I started this blog post this morning, I didn’t intend promoting my books to such a degree. But it occurs to me that these books are designed to teach and educate so that the author can continue to eat fish. Of course, my books are not the only game in town. While they have helped hundreds of people—maybe thousands—over the years, there are other professionals also providing the information, resources and education you need in order to learn to fish so you can sustain your project and yourself forevermore.

Read books on book promotion. Subscribe to newsletters, join organizations, attend conferences. And sure, you can hire someone to do a little hand-holding and guiding along the way if this is part of your comfort zone. You can even hire a publicist or book marketing company to help launch your book. But if you don’t take responsibility for promoting your book yourself and if you don’t realize that book promotion is ongoing for as long as you want your book to sell, you could easily become one of the nearly 78 percent of authors who sell fewer than 100 books total.

Start NOW, wherever you are in the writing, publishing or promoting process and take charge of your project. If you lack skills, confidence, resources or even a platform, start now educating yourself. You won’t get far in this competitive industry without it.

Join SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network) http://www.spawn.org

Read my books, “Promote Your Book,” and “Talk Up Your Book.” Available at Amazon.com in print, Kindle and audio and most other online and downtown bookstores. Or order it from me: http://www.matilijapress.com

Subscribe to any number of enewsletters related to book promotion. Mine included: http://www.patriciafry.com

Do you even know who your readers are? Who is your target audience? Before you start writing that book, you should know exactly who you are writing it for and why. If your answers to these questions—who and why—are vague and frivolous, I wouldn’t even bother producing that book. On the other hand, if you are writing a book for a specific audience because you know this is a popular genre or because you know there is a need for a book on a particular topic presented in a certain way, then you are more apt to be one of the minority—a successful published author. Yes, successful authors are in the minority—nearly 78 percent of authors fail.

So why do you need to know who your audience is? So you have an inkling as to who to promote to—who to direct your marketing efforts toward. You need to know where to find your readers—what they read, which sites they visit, where they congregate, how they buy books and so forth. If you don’t take these things into consideration, you are going to have a miserable few months of disappointment with your book and probably quit before you figure out how to succeed in this hugely competitive business.

Here’s what I advise authors:
• Identify your target audience before writing the book.

• Make sure you have a large enough audience to support a book on this topic or in this genre.

• Keep this audience in mind throughout the writing process, so you are giving them what they actually want.

• Study the publishing industry early on—particularly focusing on promotion.

• If you don’t have a platform—if people don’t know you as an expert in your field or as a novelist, start developing one. If you have a platform, build on it.

• Create a marketing plan based on your strengths, skills and opportunities (to travel and speak to your readers, for example). And develop new skills and aptitudes.

• Start implementing your marketing plan even before your book is a book. (Build a website, collect a massive emailing list, start blogging and so forth.)

Your audience is your key to your book’s success. So many people today write books for personal reasons—to fulfill a dream, to heal, to get something off their chest or to change minds, for example. Authors who write for themselves without regard for their audiences seldom succeed. Just keep that in mind.

To learn more about promoting your book, read “Promote Your Book, Over 250 Proven, Low-Cost Tips and Techniques for the Enterprising Author,” (Allworth Press). It’s available at Amazon.com in print, Kindle and audio and at most other online and downtown bookstores. Or order it here: http://www.matilijapress.com

Sign up for my bimonthly enewsletter, Publishing/Marketing News and Views at http://www.patriciafry.com

It has happened again—twice this week. Authors have written their books, managed to get them published and now want a quick course on book promotion.

They email me saying, “I have a book, now how do I promote it?” When I attempt to get a little information about their books, they are often reluctant to share much. All they want to know is, “what can I do to make sales—lots of sales?” And they want you to make it simple.

It’s as if they think there is a formula or that book promotion is a cut and dried process. Well, there is no formula—no cookie cutter procedure. However, some pay-to-publishing companies would have you believe there is. Many of them offer one-size-fits-all promotional packages. One even charged their authors, who could afford it, thousands of dollars to sit for one-hour in the company’s booth and give their books away at a major book festival.

So how do you promote your book? First let me tell you that I write about over 250 different book promotion ideas in my book, “Promote Your Book” (Allworth Press). John Kremer lists over 1000 in his book. There are books focusing on Internet marketing and books on public speaking and interviews, etc. as a way to promote your book (see “Talk Up Your Book” by Patricia Fry). And there are thousands of different kinds of books, each with a specific audience and authors with different skills, aptitudes, energy levels, etc.

There’s no getting around it, in order to sell copies of your book, you must promote it. But the path you choose may differ from every other author you know. What is appropriate for an ambitious children’s book author might not work for an elderly author of a memoir. The promotional activities pursued by the author of a novel would probably differ from those who have penned a travel guide. And even authors with similar books might experience success through very different promotional means.

This is why I teach, preach and nag hopeful and struggling authors to study the publishing industry. Along with that, you’ll learn a little about book promotion and what it entails. Take your studies a step further and study books and newsletters related to book promotion. Join organizations such as SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network) to learn more about this topic. And attend lectures on book marketing.

Open your mind so that you are prepared to take in the concept of book promotion and be realistic in choosing which activities to pursue.

Writing a book is a daunting task. Getting it published using the best option for your particular project takes time and a lot of study. Promoting your book is the most difficult, time-consuming and energy-draining aspect of publishing and it is ongoing for as long as you want your book to sell. So, wherever you are in the process of producing a book, start NOW studying the publishing industry with a keen focus on the huge process of book promotion.

Read, “Promote Your Book, Over 250 Proven, Low-cost Tips and Techniques for the Enterprising Author.” It’s available at Amazon.com in print, Kindle and audio. It’s also at most other online and downtown bookstores as well as at my website: http://www.matilijapress.com

Sign up for my bi-monthly enewsletter, Publishing/Marketing News and Views. http://www.patriciafry.com